Path of the Chosen 6: A Beautiful World
by Ferngirl
Summary: Cara is sick of running into Team Rocket, but at least this last encounter seems to have been relatively simple. If only that were so. The results of that battle follow her all the way to Kalos, the land of beauty. To complicate matters, Kalos is having some dramatic problems of its own. Problems involving beasts of creation and destruction.
1. Burning

Path of the Chosen 6: A World of Beauty

Well you guys, it's been forever! But I think I'm finally ready with the next installment of Cara's Pokémon adventure. It might be slow going on this one, but I'll update when I can.

If you'd like to see how Cara got here, feel free to check out her other stories on this account (though fair warning, some of them are pretty ancient, and I really want to revise them XD )

Polaris-Ponyta, Tlaloc-Braviary, Link-Raichu, Kinesis-Alakazam, Clora-Weavile

* * *

Chapter 1: Burning

"I am so done with Team Rocket," I snarled. After two years, I thought I'd never have to hear from them again. But all it took was trip to Kanto to visit my parents and I'd stumbled into Team Rocket once more.

Those stupid, clueless grunts thought they could sneak into a Pokémon Center and steal MY Braviary? Well, they had no idea who they were dealing with. Which is probably good, because I had no desire to get back on Team Rocket's radar. But that wouldn't stop me from breaking into their hideout and getting my Braviary back.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?" Ben asked.

I shook my head. "I'll be less obvious if I'm the only human. I really need you to mess with their surveillance."

Ben frowned but nodded.

Hari threw his arm in the air. "And I keep watch and make sure that no one else gets inside. Or gets away"

"Yes." I took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get to it."

Hari dashed down the street and Ben released his Metagross from its Pokéball. It was an ex-delta Metagross, which meant that it wasn't the normal steel-psychic type. This one was steel-electric. Ben had trained him to work with electrical grids, so he'd be able to wreak impressive havoc on the building's systems. His Joltik already sat on his shoulder. With Joltik's delicate electric webs and Metagross's powerful blasts, the two made an explosive combination when it came to manipulating anything electronic.

Hopefully it wouldn't do too much damage to the other buildings around us that weren't owned by Team Rocket. But I figured it was worth a temporary blackout if it meant weeding out a Rocket rat nest.

It looked like an unobtrusive warehouse in a normal business district. This was probably just a small hideout. Who knew where their real headquarters was. Ben would be calling the police in just a few minutes, which would give me a head start to get in there and grab my Pokémon. By the time I got out, the police should be there to round up the Rockets. Most normal people would let the police handle everything. But I was a league champion in Kanto, so I thought I should do something to help. I had experience with Team Rocket, and I was going to flush them right into the police net.

I released my Charizard – Charren- from her Pokéball and leapt on her back. We took to the night air, rising high above the rooftops and circling the target building.

We waited, well out of sight of any surveillance systems. After a couple minutes, my phone pinged – the signal from Ben that his Metagross had started to overload the building's grid.

I suppose it's strange that Ben and I – two 18-year-olds – had so much experience breaking into weird compounds. And Hari was only twelve, but he took to it like a pro. It's not that I'm very stealthy or anything. I just have really awesome Pokémon, and I know how to use their abilities to get stuff done.

I gave Charren the go-ahead. She tucked her wings and dropped out of the dark sky. We dove down toward the roof, and my eyes watered from the cold blast of wind. My Charizard opened her wings and arced out of the plunge. She hovered a couple feet from the rooftop and I leapt from her back, rolling and coming to my feet. Charren soared back into the sky, circling overhead to keep watch or to raise hell if anything went wrong.

I didn't waste any time, but tossed out three of my Pokéballs. In a flash of red, an Alakazam, Raichiu, and Weavile appeared. They already knew the drill. They followed me to a nearby door, and Clora – my Weavile – leapt forward. With a slash of her claws, she sliced the lock from the door. I pulled it open and we descended the dark staircase.

Only dim green emergency lights lit our way. They were down to backup power. Ben had done his job. And since it was near midnight, there shouldn't be too many people around.

As we continued down the flights of stairs, I turned to Kinesis, my Alakazam. "Do you sense him?"

He shut his eyes, reaching out with his psychic powers to latch onto my Braviary. " _Yes, I sense him,"_ he said through telepathy. Since I had some minor psychic abilities, I could hear the thoughts of Pokémon. That's probably the only reason I became champion at such a young age. " _He's underground. There must be several basement levels."_

"Thanks, Kinesis. Lead the way. Link?" I turned to my Raichu and he nodded. "Keep your ears open, and be ready to attack. You too, Clora." Both of them gave the affirmative.

We continued down the stairs, which reached deep into the hideout. Aboveground, the building only looked two or three stories tall. But it also stretched four levels underground. Kinesis lead us from the stairs and into the dark hallways.

They were empty. Anyone who was awake was probably trying to fix the power supply. I could see cameras fixed to the ceilings, but they were dead. The lights were dead too, and some of the hallways were pitch black. Luckily Raichu store electricity in their fur, so Link served as a sort of nightlight.

" _I hear footsteps approaching,"_ Link said. We ducked through the nearest door and waited for the sound to pass. Then we continued on.

" _He's through here,_ " Kinesis said.

The door he'd indicated had a control panel, which required some kind of ID. And this door was metal. Clora wouldn't be able to slash it open so easily.

"Hey, Link, have you been practicing manipulating that electricity of yours?"

Link grinned. " _Oh, yes."_ He bounded forward and sent a tendril of static into the mechanism. With a click, the door popped open.

"It looks like Ben's hacking lessons paid off. You're awesome, Link." Link smacked me a high-five and we headed inside.

I froze. We were in a lab. I could feel a chill creep through my blood and I shuddered. My Tlaloc, my Braviary had been stolen and experimented on. I'd seen the results of some of Team Rocket's experiments. The thought that one of my Pokémon – a Pokémon I was supposed to train and protect – had ended up here made me feel ill.

I was so stupid. Some Team Rocket jerk had seen Tlaloc battle a trainer, and wipe the floor with them. Then when I took him to a Pokémon Center, they'd broken in and stolen his Pokéball. Could I not even trust Pokémon Centers anymore?

Shivering, I took a step forward.

"What are you doing in here?" The sharp voice made me spin around. But Clora was way ahead of me. She bounded onto a nearby shelf, right behind the Rocket scientist. And a moment later, her claws were at his neck.

He froze, feeling the icy points hovering above his skin.

I walked up to him, wishing I could brandish claws like Clora. "If I were you, I wouldn't move. Or shout for help. Or anything. Where is my Braviary? And any other Pokémon you stole?"

Trembling, the main raised his arm and pointed to the next room. Kinesis reached out with his psychic powers and nodded. The coast was clear. He and Clora waited behind. Link followed me.

I still hesitated as I entered the room, afraid of what I might find. A huge computer covered one wall. To the other side were cages – mercifully empty – and a tank of fluid. Something about it seemed familiar, but I had more important things to focus on.

There. An exhale of relief rushed out of me. A tray of Pokéballs sat near the computer screen. One of them had my green sticker on it. Tlaloc.

Shaking with relief, I snatched the Pokéball and clipped it to my belt.

" _Are you okay in there, buddy?"_ I asked with telepathy.

" _Where have you been?"_ Came the tired, but relieved response. _"I've been waiting for you for ages."_

" _I'm sorry. It took a week to track them back here. Did they hurt you?"_

" _Not really. But they took some of my blood, for some reason."_

That made me pause. It triggered something in my mind but I couldn't quite latch onto it. " _I'm going to get you out of here. Then we can make sure they didn't do anything to you."_

" _Sounds good."_

I snatched a duffle bag that was hanging from the back of a chair and dumped the tray of Pokéballs into it. No doubt other frantic trainers would be happy to get their stolen Pokémon back.

As I turned to leave, my eyes swept over the machinery. Everything clicked into place. The fluid –filled tanks. Them drawing Tlaloc's blood.

Rage and horror erupted inside of me. Cloning. This was a cloning machine.

Images flashed through my mind. Mewtwo, curled asleep as he hung suspended in a tube of liquid. Mewtwo waking up and finding himself the tool of Team Rocket. Mewtwo's rage and pain as he burned the lab to the ground and fled. I hadn't been there, but I knew what had happened. If Mewtwo were here now, he would send this whole place up in a cloud of smoke.

Well, I would just have to do that for him.

I spun and sprinted from the room. I charged up to the captive scientist and snarled in his face.

"How many Pokémon did you clone here?"

"U-uuh," he stammered, "We had just started this project. There aren't any clones here. The-the captured Pokémon were still being examined and the preparations being made."

I glared at him. "How many people are in this building?"

"H-how many?"

"Yes. Because I'm guessing you'll only have a few minutes to get everyone out."

I didn't tell him that the police should be waiting up above, ready to snatch anyone who tried to escape. I hadn't intended to trash the place, but I didn't know what was going on here. I would make sure that none of this cloning machinery could be used again. Hopefully there wasn't any backup data elsewhere.

I gestured for Link to follow me back into the room with the tanks. "See this big computer?"

He cocked his head and nodded.

"Use your full blast of electricity on it. The more it sparks and burns, the better."

Link looked startled. _"But what if something catches on fire?"_

I spoke through gritted teeth. "Something will definitely catch on fire. But not necessarily from the computer."

Hesitating, Link jumped up onto the keyboard. He wasn't used to seeing me in such a rage. I stepped out of the room, and a blinding flash erupted through the doorway. Crackling electricity and shattering glass made me flinch. Link bounded out of the room, escaping the shards of glass and sparks flying from the screen.

I turned to the Rocket scientist. "I suggest you find all of your scumbag friends and get out of here as soon as possible. Things are about to get very hot."

Clora released him, and the man fled.

I took out my last Pokéball and opened it. Polaris, my Ponyta appeared. "Polaris, go into that room, and incinerate everything you see."

She narrowed her eyes. _"Don't you think you might be overreacting?"_

"Do you remember what happened the first time Team Rocket successfully cloned something?" It was a rhetorical question, and I was being a sarcastic jerk. But I didn't care. "Do you really think that kind of technology should be allowed to exist?"

" _That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that you are reacting out of rage, not out of rationality. I agree that this thing should be blown sky high. But I don't like following your orders if they're stemming from thoughtless fury."_

I clenched my fists, but tried to take a deep breath. I knew I was out of control. But I couldn't help it. Thinking of what Metwo had gone through, and what Team Rocket was capable of… I swallowed. This wasn't the first time I'd lost it when something happened to Mewtwo.

"Please," I said, sounding desperate.

Polaris rolled her eyes and stepped into the cloning room. She opened her mouth and a vortex of flames swirled through the room, making glass shatter and the walls blister.

Emergency sprinklers popped out of the ceiling and started spraying. They wouldn't be able to stop Polaris's Fire Spin.

I returned Clora and Link. Kinesis stayed by my side and we backed into the hallway. Polaris poured fiery vengeance through the rest of the lab. Flames burrowed into cabinets and books, gathering power as they ate. The walls were aglow.

I reached out with my telepathy, speaking to Charren who was still flying high above us. _"Charren, are the police there?"_

" _Yes they're organizing themselves to cover the entrances. They haven't found Ben or Hari yet."_

" _Good. Grab Ben and Hari. Meet us at the rendezvous point. We'll only take a minute."_

Polaris trotted out of the inferno and stopped at my side. I patter her neck. "Thank you."

She nudged my shoulder. _"Just promise me you'll try to calm down. And can we please get out of here?"_

"Yeah. Let's get the hell out." I returned her, and turned to Kinesis. The heat was making me sweat, and I felt my arm scorch as a tongue of flame tore through the open doorway. "Kinesis, Teleport."

The image of flaming walls fragmented, and a moment later I was surrounded by darkness. We were outside, but my fire-blinded eyes couldn't make out anything in the night.

Squinting, I pulled a sheet of paper from my backpack and scrawled a note on it. "These are Pokémon that Team Rocket stole. And by the way, call the fire department now." I handed the note and the bag of Pokéballs to Kinesis. "Can you take these to the police for me?"

He took the bag and disappeared. Five seconds later he had returned to my side. I didn't really want the police knowing that I was responsible for the fire, or I would have returned the Pokéballs myself. Within minutes, the building would probably be covered in a column of flame and smoke. But the fire department should have enough heads up to keep the fire from spreading.

Wing beats made me look up. Charren floated down from the sky with Hari on her back. Ben and his Pigeot came behind them. I jumped up in front of Hari, and we took to the air once more.

"Thanks, guys. I got Tlaloc back. Though… I may have over-reacted." I sighed and let my head flop forward onto Charren's neck. "We set the basement on fire."

"What?" Ben exclaimed.

I sighed. "I'll explain later. It was important."

"You burned the place down?" Hari asked, alarmed.

"Everyone should get out okay," I said. "And I got the Pokémon out."

"This was some detour," Ben muttered. "We should have been in Kalos by now. Instead we're fleeing a crime scene."

"Yeah, I know. Well, let's go home and get some rest. When things settle down, we can plan our trip to Kalos."


	2. Beauty in Music

Okay, I just finished a big writing project, so I'll dash in here and throw out another chapter XD

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Frogadier, Yarak- Fletchling

* * *

Chapter 2: Beauty in Music

"Why is everything in Kalos so beautiful?" I demanded as we walked down Route 4. Or Parterre Way, if you want the more romantic name. The path led to a beautiful fountain. A Clamperl statue was set in the center. Surrounded by a smooth waterfall. To either side, a stone Horsea spouted water jets into the air. All along the route, tidy shrubs were tamed into hedges that bordered winding trails. Flowers of every color lit up the earth.

"I mean," I continued, "There's beautiful stuff in all the regions. Like Ecruteak City in the fall. Or Snowpoint City after a fresh snow. But everywhere you turn in Kalos, there's something beautiful."

"It hides the evil lurking beneath."

I turned and punched Ben in the arm.

He rubbed his shoulder, grinning. "What? You know we're going to get dragged into something crazy. You always get stuck in the middle of trouble. A couple weeks ago you burned down a building. On purpose."

"They kidnapped my Braviary."

"Never mess with Cara's Pokémon. That's the moral of this story. She will blow up your house."

"I get it!" I cried. "I over-reacted. A normal person would just report them to the police."

Ben held up his hands, grinning. "Hey, I'm not complaining. I hate Team Rocket as much as you do."

Ben had just been teasing, but it still left me fuming. At least I was getting better at controlling my temper. Mostly.

I looked up at the sound of laughter. Hari and Polaris were dashing through the flowers and leaping over hedges. Yarak, my Fletchling fluttered overhead and Shanjin, my Frogadier pounced from hedge to hedge, trying not to touch the ground. Yarak did his best to knock Shanjin off balance.

Yarak had pretty much dominated the first Kalos gym. He may be a tiny Fletchling, but he did a number on those bug Pokémon. And bonus! The gym leader was a photographer, so I got a quick lesson from her. I've always loved taking photos of Pokémon. And if you take enough pictures, a few of them are bound to be good. But I learned a few cool things from her about professional photography.

We reached the central fountain and Shanjin dove in, swimming in circles. Polaris and Yarak took a drink from the cool water.

"Hey, there's some kind of show up ahead," Hari said, pointing further north.

There was a stage set up farther down the route. Beyond it, Lumiose City towered in the distance. We were almost there. I could even see the top of Prism Tower.

"Let's see what they're doing!" Hari said. He bolted down the path. Gro, his ever-present Grovyle, bounded after him.

"Well, shall we?" Ben asked.

I nodded. One thing about me. I may be quick to annoy, but I'm also pretty quick to forget about stuff that annoyed me.

We followed Hari at a walk. As we got closer to the stage, we saw that an audience had gathered. The performance was about to start.

Hari was sitting on the ground a foot from the front of the stage. I pulled him away and pushed him into a chair. He didn't even seem to notice, as all of his attention was riveted to the stage.

Just as I took a seat, a man stepped onto the stage and bowed.

"Welcome everyone! Thank you for joining us today at the Tynpole Troupe of Singing Pokémon! Please refrain from video or photography, and instead enjoy the music in the present. Any donations are gratefully accepted, and they go toward caring for our Pokémon performers. Without further ado, let the show begin!"

He bowed and strode from the stage.

A Wigglytuff bounced out and began to sing. A trio of Bellossom and a Gardevoir danced along with the music. Next came five Tympole that whistled out a cute, energetic tune while Ledian and Vivillon flew patterns overhead. A Chimecho floated out and added a bell tone half way through the act. Next a woman came out and sang a beautiful song as a Cherrim and Lilligant did a sort of tango. Several Floette did a circular dance around the stage.

The audience cheered as the third act cleared from the stage. A voice echoed from the stage. "Ladies, Gentlemen, and Pokémon, now is the moment you have all been waiting for! Prepare to be amazed by the dazzling beauty of the one, the only Melody the Meloetta!"

My mouth fell open as a figure bounded onto the stage. A Meloetta. In a stage play!

The Meloetta burst into song, swirling and dipping in an accompanying dance. The audience went wild. This Melody must be some sort of local celebrity. Not that I was surprised. Meloetta were rare, and their singing was, well, mythical.

The Cherrim spun back out onto stage and the two of them danced a quick-tempo waltz. Melody began singing again. I recognized the tune this time. It was Relic Song. Melody spun away from her dance partner as she sang, and as the music poured forth, she began to transform. In her new pirouette form, she broke into a faster dance, which Cherrim matched on the opposite side of the stage. Finally the two of them met in the middle, their feet moving faster and faster until they stopped in the center and threw their arms out in a final pose.

The audience leapt to their feet, cheering and clapping. Ben, Hari and I joined in.

"Whooo!" I shouted. Hari hopped up and down, yelling incoherently.

Melody and Cherrim bowed. The rest of the performers filed onto the stage and help up their hands. They joined in a group bow and the curtain folded closed in front of them.

The applause continued for another half minute. Then the audience began to disperse, though most of them went up to make their donation. The man who had introduced the show was holding a box, which everyone filed past and added their tips to. He must be the leader of the troupe. One of the perks of being a Pokémon champion (in several regions) is that I have a decent budget. So I joined the queue and added my donation to the box.

The man spotted the amount I'd put in, and he tipped his hat to me, grinning. "Many thanks, miss."

"Your show was beautiful," I said, grinning. "Just like everything else in Kalos."

"Ah, are you visiting the region?"

"Yeah. I'm from Kanto."

"Welcome! Are you here long?"

"We just got here a couple weeks ago. I'm taking the league challenge. This is my sixth Pokémon League far."

"I hope your challenge goes well."

"Thank you!" I stepped out of the way to let the next people come in with their donation.

As I walked back to the others, my eyes fell on three figures in the audience. They were sitting quietly, their faces covered by the hoods from their red hoodies. I hated making quick judgments about people I didn't know, but they immediately felt suspicious to me."

"I want to meet Melody," Hari said, trotting over to greet me.

"Me too," I agreed, shifting my attention away from the strange figures. "But I doubt she'll be coming out. Performers rarely do, unless you have some sort of VIP pass."

Ben shrugged. "Just tell them you're a champion. In Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not a champion in Kalos yet, so I doubt they'd care. I've only got one gym badge so far."

"Is that why you always try to become one of the champions when we go to a new region?" Hari asked.

I shrugged. "I do the league challenge because it's an excellent excuse to travel and find new Pokémon. And if I'm a champion, then I can help people in other regions."

"Oh-hoh," Ben laughed. "So the perks that come with being a champion aren't important to you?"

"Perks," I snorted. "I may have a bit more authority than the average trainer. But I also get called on to travel around and deal with crazy problems."

"Like burning down buildings?" Ben suggested.

"Freaking Arceus, would you stop bringing that up five times a day?" I cried.

Ben laughed.

"You're a champion in five regions?"

I turned and faced a girl with dark skin and frizzy hair pulled into a tangled ponytail. Her clothes were ragged at the hems. She was maybe a year or two younger than me, and very pretty.

"Our Kalos champion is a movie star," she continued. "Maybe you'll meet her some day, if you're doing the challenge. I've seen her a few times around Lumiose City."

"A movie star," I repeated. "That's cool! I'll have to check out some of her movies. Gotta get in the loop."

"You could check out My Sweet, Sweet Lady," she said. "That's a popular one."

"Awesome. I'll write it down and see if I can find it at a library."

I dug out a notebook from my backpack and scrolled the name down. When I'd was done, the girl was gone.

"Huh," I muttered as I swung my backpack onto my shoulder. "Shall we head onto Lumiose?" I asked. The crowd had mostly gone. The people were packing up their props from the stage, and some of the performing Pokémon were climbing into a truck that was parked in the back.

As we started to walk away, someone tapped my shoulder. It was the girl from before.

"Hey, champion?"

"My name's Cara."

"Ah, Cara! My name's Fleur. Anyway, Cara, there are some suspicious people behind the stage. I just thought you should know." She turned and trotted away.

I glanced behind me. Something was shifting in the shadows. I frowned and stepped toward the stage.

One of the show people moved in front of me, smiling. "If I could ask you to keep out of the way while we're packing-"

I pointed to the shadows and the lady glanced in the indicated direction. She did a double take.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping toward the people hiding behind the stage.

Before she could get any farther, there was a burst of red light and three Pokémon appeared: Diggersby, Pangoro, and Malamar.

Diggersby dove under the ground, and Pangoro charged forward toward the cart. The show Pokémon cried out and scattered. Those already in the van cowered to the back.

One Pokémon charged out to the front. Meloetta. She stood as a shield in front of the other Pokémon. I had no doubt that she would be a formidable opponent.

But Diggersby launched out of the ground beneath the van, tipping it into its side and sending all of the Pokémon tumbling head-over-heels. The people from the show rushed forward, but Pangoro charged, driving them away.

Meloetta pushed herself to her feet and moved to the front of the van again. But before she could gather herself, Malamar made his move. He swayed his tentacles in a strange swirling rhythm. Meloetta stared at him, confused. Then her eyes slid out of focus.

Something clicked in my head. Malamar could hypnotize Pokémon!

He moved closer, reaching out with his tentacles, ready to wrap them around Meloetta.

"Polaris!" I shouted.

She charged forward and bowled into Malamar, sending him tumbling into a pile of equipment.

Meloetta shook her head, coming back to her senses. She blinked in surprise, then narrowed her eyes. She shot forward and fell on Diggesrby with Close Combat.

Shanjin and Yarak fell on Pangoro, distracting him. Polaris blasted fire at Malamar, knocking him out before he could regain his balance.

When Meloetta finished with Diggersby she flew over and helped my Pokémon finish off Pangoro.

Polaris turned and charged at the shadows. There was a shout and three people bolted. It was the strange people in red hoodies.

But Meloetta knocked them off their feet with Hyper Voice.

I stomped up to them. "If you're trying to be sneaky enough to steal a mythical Pokémon, you shouldn't wear something as flashy as red."

"Soon enough we won't need to hide," one of them spat.

The people from the troupe rushed up and surrounded the intruders.

"Who are you?" The leader demanded.

None of them responded.

The guy snorted. "Well, maybe the police can get something out of you. Bellossom, knock them out with Sleep Powder."

When the suspicious people were snoozing on the ground, the leader turned to me. "I saw what you did. Thank you."

"Yeah, sure. I'm glad everyone's all right."

"Yeah, No one was hurt," he agreed. "But it looks like some of our gear was damaged."

Melody the Meloetta floated up to me. She smiled and gave me a little bow. _"Thank you. That thing almost had me."_

I grinned. "No problem."

Meloetta grinned, pleased that I could understand her words.

"If you ever need anything," the man continued, "Let us know. We'd be happy to help. Safe travels on the rest of your Kalos adventure."

I gave a sheepish grin. "Thanks. But considering how it's starting, I doubt it."


	3. Fashion Advice

Gonna throw out one more chapter before I get started on my next big project~

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Frogadier, Yarak- Fletchling

… Chapter 3: Fashion Advice

"Lumiose City!" I shouted.

Hari and I broke into a run, racing each other down the road. Ben laughed, following. We dashed through the entrance and emerged into one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Prism Tower rose above us: the symbol of Kalos. It was like a sentinel watching over the rest of Lumiose City.

"What'll we do first?" I asked. "Go to a café? Check out the shops? Or go straight to the tower?"

"I can show you to a great clothes place."

The three of us turned to see who had spoken. It was the girl from before. Fleur.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"I saw you beat up those bad guys," Fleur said. "No wonder you're a champion. I was wondering, maybe I could battle you? And then I can show you around the city."

I wondered if I should be suspicious. After all, some people take advantage of tourists. Does it make me a tourist to participate in the Pokémon League? That wasn't really a fair thing for me to think. But it wouldn't hurt to be alert.

"Yeah, sure. I never turn down a battle. I've got new Pokémon to train, after all."

"Awesome! Okay then, go Floette!" She threw out a Pokéball and a red Floette emerged. I sent out Yarak.

"Kick up some wind!" Fleur shouted.

Floette let out a battle cry and a shimmering gust struck Yarak. He chirped and fluttered.

" _Quick Attack,"_ I ordered through telepathy.

Yarak darted forward and struck Floette.

"What's your wish, Flo?" Fleur said.

Floette raised her arms and hummed. Something shimmered in the air around her.

I frowned and had Yarak use Peck.

"Time for razors!"

Floette responded by using Razor Leaf.

It sounded like Fleur was calling out nonsense when she should have been ordering attacks for her Pokémon. Well, it sounded like nonsense. But it must be some sort of code she'd developed with her team. It was an impressive strategy, and I did something very similar myself. I used my telepathy to direct my Pokémon. When I didn't shout out my attacks, it was harder for my opponents to react to our moves.

Fleur's strategy was throwing off my rhythm. I was used to hearing other trainers say their attacks, which gave me time to prepare for them. I grinned. "You have a great battle style!"

Fleur grinned back. "So do you! You don't even need to talk to your Pokémon during a battle!"

Yarak struck with another Peck. But just as Floette was starting to look worn, a glow came over her and she was immediately refreshed. She must have used Wish a couple moves back.

" _Flail!"_

Yarak dashed forward to attack, but Floette knocked him out with Fairy Wind.

Wow. She was good.

I sent out Shanjin next. He struck with Water Pulse, and got hit with Vine Whip. The second Water Pulse finally knocked Floette out.

Fleur's next Pokémon was Spritzee. Shanjin struck with Bubble, and Spritzee dashed in with Sweet Kiss.

I hissed in annoyance as Shanjin's eyes glazed over in confusion. His next Bubble attack missed and Spritzee struck with Fairy Wind. Jin snapped to his senses enough to knock Spritzee out with Water Pulse.

Fleur's last Pokémon was a modern Vivillon. Its Sleep Powder hit on the first strike, and Shanjin tumbled to the ground, snoring.

"Wow. Well, go on, Polaris. Let's finish this off."

Polaris trotted forward, looking entirely carefree. She was at a much higher level, and had a type advantage.

Fleur grimaced. Though her Vivillon tried get another hit with Sleep Powder, a blast of Flamethrower turned the powder to cinders. It also knocked Vivillon out of the sky.

"Whoa," Fleur said, returning her Vivillon. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"I'm going to guess that you don't lose much?"

Fleur laughed. "Actually, no. I don't."

"Have you ever taken the league challenge?"

Fleur looked away. "Ah, no. I haven't. I don't have any of the paperwork. I don't even have a trainer's license. I found all of my Pokémon here in the city. People threw them away."

"What?" Hari demanded.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "I hate humans sometimes."

Fleur sighed. "No kidding. Well, a loss is a loss. I'll show you around the city. But I guess we'd better go to the Pokémon Center first."

"Sounds good."

Polaris trotted alongside us as our group made our way to the center. As Fleur and I waited to get our Pokémon back, Ben asked "Where do you live?"

Fleur frowned and gestured to the east. "Over that way."

Ben and I exchanged glances. Her shabby clothes and the fact that she had Pokémon but no license made me wonder. Did she have a family? A home? But how could I ask without sounding totally insensitive? And what if I was jumping to crazy conclusions?

The nurse returned our Pokémon to us, and we headed back outside.

"How old are you?" Hari asked.

"Fifteen," Fleur responded.

"Do you give a lot of tours?" Ben asked.

"Nah," Fleur said. "But I thought it might be good to know a champion."

"Champions cause a lot of trouble," Ben whispered.

I punched his arm.

Fleur raised an eyebrow. "Cause you have to fight the bad guys, right?"

"Pretty much," I sighed.

"You sure don't dress like a Champion."

I looked down at my baggy Togepi print shirt. It was kind of faded and had a hole ripped near the hem. As I glanced around, I realized that everyone on the streets of Lumiose city was dressed in lovely, tidy clothes. Fleur's clothes were worn, but they were much more aesthetically pleasing than mine.

I'd always dressed simply. My appearance was right near the bottom of my priority list. I didn't really care what other people looked like. And I always kind of hoped that no one else cared how I dressed. Even though some part of me knows it's not true.

"If you're aiming to be the champion of Kalos too," Fleur said, "you should look the part. Our current champion is a movie star, after all."

"Whoa, whoa," I said, holding up my hands. "I do not want to look like a movie star."

"Well, we can still find you a good outfit to wear around Kalos. Come on. I know a great place."

I hesitated, then followed Fleur down the street.

Ben grinned. "I thought you hated to play dress-up."

I rolled my eyes.

Fleur led us into a shop, and even I had to admit that the clothes there were nice.

Hari, excited by everything, trotted down the isles and rummaged through the coat hangers. Ben went to check out the shirts.

Fleur grabbed my arm and pulled me along. "So I'm guessing you ride your Ponyta a lot. Which means that dresses and skirts will be impractical for you. Though you may want a dress or something for when you go out to lunch, or when you're walking around the city. Anyway, let's start with more sensible travel outfits. Stuff that you can get into a fight in, without tripping over frills and ribbons."

As much as I hated to admit it, Fleur knew exactly what she was doing.

While she dug through the racks of shirts, I said, "I guess I always hope people will look past my clothes and just appreciate me as I am."

Fleur glanced up. "Aaw, that's sweet. You give people way too much credit."

I grimaced. "Yeah, I know. I expect too much of people, I guess."

"Well, even so, why not have some pride in yourself? You're a champion! Maybe not a movie star, but there's no need to dress like a hobo."

I bit my lip.

"Your hands look pretty dry. You should use more lotion. And you could also take your ponytail out, even if you don't want to get your hair done. It would probably make your hair look less frizzy."

"Sometimes it turns into a tumbleweed if it stays down for too long."

"Here's a nice outfit! Try this one on." She shoved an outfit into my hands and pushed me toward the changing rooms.

Bewildered, I closed myself into a room and put on the clothes she'd chosen. It was simple and practical, but even I could tell that it was a lot nicer than what I was wearing. A long blue shirt with lovely trim; not quite a dress. And neat black pants to go with it. Plus a cute hat.

I liked it.

I came out and Fleur nodded in approval. "Take your ponytail out."

I sighed and did so.

"Yeah, better."

I gave a nervous laugh and went up to buy the outfit. Not because Fleur told me to, but because I did really like it. And I was suddenly very self-conscious of looking like a hobo…

"Hey, you got an outfit!" Ben exclaimed. "I bought a shirt." He held out his arms and showed his neat new button-up shirt.

I gave him a fist-bump.

"Hari," I said, "do you want anything?"

Unsurprisingly, he'd picked a pair of shorts. Ben was probably the most fashion-conscious of our group.

Fleur kept glancing at an outfit that was displayed in the window. A lovely shirt and skirt combo with leggings. Despite my lack of any fashion sense, I thought it would look beautiful on her.

I hesitated, not sure how she'd react. "Can I get that for you?"

Fleur glanced up, surprised. "Ah, no that's okay. It's expensive."

"I don't care. You're showing us around town and, uh, giving me advice. I want to do something for you."

Fleur bit her lip.

"Do you want to try it on?" I asked.

"No, it fits. I've tried it on before."

Wow, she really did like that outfit. Did she come in here to look at clothes she couldn't afford?

I flagged down the lady at the counter. "I'm going to get this outfit too." Fleur hung back, looking nervous.

When I was done, I handed her the bag. "Want to put it on?"

She tried to bite back a smile as she took the bag from me and headed back to the dressing rooms. A minute later, she emerged and the rest of us clapped to see how great she looked.

"Man, you know how to pick out clothes," Ben said.

Fleur grinned.

As we headed outside, Fleur stepped up to walk beside me.

"Thanks," she murmured.

"Sure."

She hesitated for a minute, then said "my friend Emma just got a job. She's working for a police officer, of all things. It's kind of hard for people like us to find a job."

"Like you?" I repeated.

Fleur shrugged. "You know. People without a family. That live on the street."

I froze. Sure, I had wondered about it, but to hear it confirmed was something else entirely.

"Do you want to travel with us?" I blurted.

Fleur glanced back at me. She smiled. "You've done enough."

"I'm serious," I said. "You may not believe this, but I found Hari in the woods. You'd adjust a lot easier than he did."

"It's true!" Hari chimed grinning.

Fleur turned and looked at Hari. "The woods?"

"I was raised by Pokémon," Hari said proudly.

Fleur gaped at him. I got the feeling that we were probably scaring her off, as opposed to inviting her in.

Then she grinned. "Thanks guys. But there's a place nearby that's hiring trainers. Now that I don't look so tattered, I bet they'll hire me."

I smiled. "That's awesome. With your battling skills I'm sure you'll make it in. Do you want to get dinner with us?"


	4. Dust Clouds

Finished a big project, so I'll dash in for a quick chapter~

I keep turning on my copy of Y to check out some of the locations. I haven't played in a while, so I forget what they look like.

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Frogadier, Yarak- Fletchinder

* * *

Chapter 4: Dust Clouds

Dust billowed behind us as the three Rhyhorn charged along the path. I was used to riding Polaris, with her smooth rolling gait. Well, smooth compared to this. Riding a Rhyhorn was like riding a tank that was taking a jog.

It was kind of fun though. The path to Glittering Cave was too rough and rocky for Polaris to safely navigate. Luckily they had trained Rhyhorn to take visitors to the cave. Hari was enjoying himself, cheering as his Rhyhorn trotted along. Ben enjoyed the ride at first, but he was starting to grimace from the intense bouncing. I didn't blame him. My insides felt like they were running through a washing machine.

The Rhyhorn were obviously used to this route, and were bored of taking a slow pace. I was about to ask them to slow down for Ben's sake when I spotted the cave down the path. We were almost there. A few other Rhyhorn milling around. Some other people must be visiting the cave too. Maybe we'd get in some battles. Though it probably wouldn't be as good training as the Battle Chateau had been.

Yarak, evolved into a Fletchinder now, fluttered overhead, amused by our little Rhyhorn stampede.

We pulled up in front of the cave and slid onto solid ground.

"Urgh," Ben groaned. "Rhyhorn racing is an actual sport here?"

"The ground feels like it's still bouncing," I said, laughing. "We should probably make them walk on the way back. It seems like they've picked up some bad habits from people who don't know how to ride."

"Aah, it was fun running," Hari said, petting his Rhyhorn. I pulled out some berries to feed the Rhyhorn in thanks.

Without warning, a thundering boom echoed from in the tunnels of Glittering Cave. The Rhyhorn bellowed in alarm and galloped away down the path.

We exchanged alarmed looks and ran toward the cave opening. Had there been a cave-in? Could people be trapped inside? Was it safe to go in?

A few alarmed Cubone fled the cave, running past us.

"Wait," I called. One of them paused and looked back at me. "What happened in there?"

The Cubone shook his head. " _Humans."_ He turned and ran after the others.

"Humans causing trouble," Hari grumbled.

I nodded and opened my pack. I scrawled a quick note on a page and handed it to Yarak. "Could you take this to the police, bud?"

He grasped the letter in his beak and flew off.

The rest of us dashed into the cave. It was dark inside, but the path was dimly lit by clusters of glowing blue and green crystals. I let out Shanjin, just in case.

A Mawile hurried past and I called out to her. "Is there a danger of the tunnel collapsing?"

Mawile hissed. _"If those humans keep doing what they're doing."_

I cursed and broke into a run, heading deeper into the tunnels. The others followed me.

"I'd bet anything that people are blasting in there," Ben said. "Judging from what we learned back in Ambrette Town, that's illegal."

"Then let's stop them."

After several minutes, the tunnel opened up into a great cavern. The crystals were thicker here, but their glow was dimmed by thick clouds of dust and smoke.

A second BOOM rattled the earth. The crystals shivered and the ground shook. With a low groaning, a pillar of rock tilted. I skidded to a halt and wheeled my arms as I saw the boulder fall toward me.

Ben grabbed my arm and yanked me backward. The rock smashed into the ground and shattered. It puffed a cloud of dirt over me and I coughed.

I sat in the dirt, gaping at the stone that had almost crushed me. I tended to be rather reckless. I was used to my Pokémon and my friends having my back (especially considering how powerful some of those Pokémon were). But that had come too close for comfort. Ben had my back, thank god, but an accident like that certainly reminds you of your mortality.

I swallowed and got to my feet, my knees shaking. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" Ben asked.

"Y-yeah."

Hari gaped, amazed that I hadn't been flattened to jelly.

I cleared my throat. "Well, let's keep moving. We don't want anything else to fall on us."

I wrapped my arms around Ben's arm, pretending to be clingy as we walked forward. He smirked and shook his head. I let go after a few paces, but our group stayed close this time.

Sounds echoed from deeper in the cave. We slowed and crept forward until we could peek around the corner. There were two people dressed in vivid red suits. There was a pile of rubble in front of them. Rock they'd blasted out of the cave wall. They were digging through it. The lady lifted a stone out of the debris and set it to the side along with a couple others. A Pokémon fossil.

Next to them was a pile of blasting equipment.

I turned and whispered to Hari and Ben. "I'll draw them out. You jump on them and tie em up, or something."

I nodded to Shanjin and he leapt forward, soaking the explosives in a torrent of water. I hoped that would make them less volatile.

The two people dressed in red whirled around, and I jumped out from behind the cliff. The presence of explosives made me reluctant to let Polaris out. But Shanjin could probably handle this himself.

My opponents let out a Scraggy and a Croagunk. Shanjin used Smokescreen, filling the end of the cave with smoke. The two trainers coughed and started to edge out past me. I pretended to ignore them and ordered Shanjin to attack the Pokémon. They were weak, and it only took a few Bubble and Water Pulse attacks to knock them out. In the meantime, the two trainers backed out of the cave. Hari jumped on the guy, and Ben knocked the lady's feet out from under her. In seconds, their hands were bound.

"What is wrong with you?" The lady shouted, trying to tug her hands free. "We're just looking for fossils! That's totally legal."

"Blasting is not legal," Ben said.

"The police are on the way," I said. "If you're trying to break the law, you shouldn't wear such bright colors."

"Hah," the guy spat. "Call all the police you want. It won't matter. Team Flare has our backs."

I frowned, not sure what that meant. But it wasn't long before Yarak fluttered into the cave, followed by a couple police officers. They took charge of the remaining explosives, and the guys in red were taken back to town.

I got a Sail Fossil too, which was the reason I'd come to the cave in the first place.

But as we left Glittering Cave, something caught my eye. There was a person standing further up the path. A girl dressed in red. She was in the shade of the mountain, so I couldn't get a good look at her. It might be just a hiker in a red shirt.

One of the police officers approached me. "You said you're the Kanto champion?"

I looked over at him,. "Yeah. Thanks for coming." I turned my attention to Yarak and talked to him through telepathy. _"Can you see if there's another of those people hiding up the path?"_

Yarak nodded and flew off. He returned a minute later, shaking his head.

I shrugged and our group got ready to head back to the Ambrette fossil lab. I had a Sail Fossil, and I intended to use it.


	5. The New Gyms

Whoa, sorry for the huge wait guys. I've had limited writing time since I started an awesome new job several months ago. I'll keep posting! Though I may be at an all-time slow _ Even my normal writing project has been crawling along.

It was fun trying to think of a connection to Pokémon Go. Though I won't get too much into the rules of the gym battles _ They're complicated enough in-game, let alone fitting them into a fanfic. Cara tends to be overly paranoid when it comes to the safety of her Pokémon, but she doesn't really need to worry in this case.

…

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Frogadier, Yarak- Fletchinder, Nelly – Amaura

…

Chapter 5: The New Gyms

 _I'm flying. But I'm not riding a Pokémon. Am I dreaming? I'm not very good at telling when I'm dreaming. I convince myself I'm awake even when the world is turned on its head. But I think right now I'm dreaming._

 _It feels so real. My wings are beating; feathers tilting to catch the air. The air is still. What is a breeze? I have never felt wind before but somehow I know what it should feel like._

 _Circling. Circling around the indoor stadium. The only place I've ever flown. I've never been under the open sky, but I can picture it. Things I've never seen live in the back of my head. They come from somewhere. From my Origin. I don't see them clearly, but I know them with a vague understanding. I know them in my dreams. Soaring under open blue skies, spiraling on the air currents._

 _But that is not now. Now is another training session. Most of my life is training and education. The people talk to me through my radio collar, and they tell me how to fight and why to fight. I think the talking collar makes me obey, because I have to follow orders, even if I don't feel like it._

 _And today's orders are below me. There is a female Pyroar, darting back and forth, watching me warily as I circle above. She knows I'm her target. And she's trying to think of a plan to stop me from striking. I don't give her time to think. Instead I tuck my wings and drop out of the air._

…

I opened my eyes and blinked. A dream. A strange dream. I sat up and ran my fingers through tangled hair. Every morning, my hair was a mess, sticking out in all directions like a Zoroark mane. The dream had felt so real. Sometimes I had dreams that were true. They were like windows to another part of the world, sometimes even to a different time. Usually they were about Pokémon I was connected to through a psychic bond. But I had no idea who this bird Pokémon might be, so maybe it was just a normal dream.

Still a bit bemused, I pulled out my journal and wrote down the dream. Even if it wasn't real, it was vivid enough that it was worth recording.

Hari was already awake. He was always the first to sleep and the first to wake. He was gone, no doubt pounding around Ambrette Town. Ben was still sleeping. Usually I had one of my Pokémon wake him up (if I woke up first). But Pokémon Centers preferred that we keep our team in their Pokéballs, so they don't get in the way of hospital staff. It makes sense, but it's also the main downside of sleeping in Centers. They are free and cozy, but I can't snuggle with my Pokémon. Especially my adorable new Amaura.

"Ben, it's time to get up," I said, my voice still a bit hoarse from sleep.

He mumbled and stirred. I left the room to get dressed and ready for the morning. Hari met us for breakfast, then we all headed out to continue our journey. We lingered in the aquarium, watching the fish swim and sparkle in the light. But no sooner had we stepped out of the aquarium than we paused.

There was a tower rising above us. A yellow platform rotated above, flashing like a beacon. At the bottom of the tower was a computer panel.

Hari trotted up and tapped the panel screen. It blinked to life with a video of a gray-haired man wearing a large backpack. "Hello!" he said. "My name is Professor Willow. Welcome to a new way of Pokémon battling: Pokémon Go gyms! For any newcomers, I will explain how they work. Everyone who would like to participate will choose a team."

Three images appeared on the screen, replacing Professor Willow. They were symbols of Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres.

Professor Willow's narration continued. "Each tower is a Pokémon Go gym. The three teams compete to take over these gyms. You battle a gym in an attempt to win it over from another team. Or if the gym is already owned by your team, you can further strengthen it by battling. If you defeat a foe's gym, or if you strengthen your own gym, you may leave behind a Pokémon to help defend that gym. When the gym is later defeated, your Pokémon will automatically be returned to your PC box. You can earn prizes for winning or defending gyms. If you are interested, please register by inserting your Pokémon trainer ID and choosing a team."

"This involves some fascinating technology," Ben murmured, examining the tower.

"Do you want to sign up?" I asked. It sounded kind of complicated. But maybe it would be fun once I got used to all the rules. Though still, leaving my Pokémon behind? That sounded kind of suspicious. I'd witnessed too may attempts at Pokémon theft to want to leave anyone behind. Especially considering my Braviary had been kidnapped so recently.

"I wouldn't mind trying it." Ben sounded nonchalant, but he looked like he was starting to get excited.

"I'll be back," I said.

"Where are you going?" Ben asked, startled by my abrupt departure.

"To get some assurance." I backtracked into the aquarium and went to the information desk.

"Hello, I was wondering if you knew anything about these Pokémon Go gyms."

"Yes!" the lady said, looking excited. "We just got ours in. They're already very popular, and not only in Kalos. People have been looking forward to them for a long time."

"Thank you." I went back outside, still not entirely reassured. Instead I pulled out my phone.

Professor Oak answered. "Oh, Cara! How have you been? I've heard you're busy."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's true. As usual. I was wondering if you could help me with something. Do you know a Professor Willow?"

"Oh yes. He's become very well known recently, thanks to his help in developing Pokémon Go gyms. They've become quite popular here in Kanto. Have you run into them over in Kalos?"

"Yes, that's why I'm calling. I was mostly wondering if it's safe to leave my Pokémon at them."

"Oh yes. Professor Willow has applied every safety precaution to make sure there are no thefts. You might like trying them out. I recommend you join the same team as your friends so you can help each other out."

"Thank you, Professor." I made a couple more calls to a few of my friends, partly to say hi, and partly to see if they'd joined any teams yet. Wes, Amber, Ethan, and Solana all had joined.

"That took you long enough," Ben said. He and Hari had been watching me.

"Sorry. I wanted to research."

Ben shrugged. "So what did you find?"

"We know a lot of people on Team Valor."

Ben and I took turns registering and joining Team Valor. Then I pressed the button on the screen. " _Challenge Gym_."

Instantly three Pokémon burst out of a panel above the computer screen: Gourgeist, Heliosk, and Gogoat. Ben stood next to me and we each let out a Pokémon: I sent out Shanjin and Ben sent out the Furfrou he'd been training.

Our opponents all belonged to different trainers, and were not used to working with each other. Ben and I, however, had been training together for years. And whenever Pokémon had to battle without their trainers, they seemed to fall apart. I often had my Pokémon train without any orders from me, so I was confident they could hold their own in a battle, even without me around.

I grinned. Our opponents didn't stand a chance.

Heliosk started charging up an electric attack, aiming at Shanjin. Gogoat also focused his attention of my Frogadier. They were going for the type advantage. I wouldn't give them that chance.

Ben's Furfrou dove underground with Dig. Shanjin used Ice Beam to knock Gogoat flying. Heliosk was distracted by Furfrou's abrupt disappearance and hesitated. That gave Furfrou the chance to hit with Dig. It was a one-hit K.O.

Shanjin wasn't fast enough to avoid Gourgeist's attack. Razor Leaf hit him straight on. Furfrou jumped to his aid with Bite. Shanjin regained his balance, wincing, and used Ice Beam on Gourgeist. One more Bite from Furfrou finished Gourgeist off. Now it was both of our Pokémon against Gogoat. He hit Furfrou with Leech Seed, then spun around and blasted Shanjin with Seed Bomb. Shanjin crashed into the wall of the aquarium and struggled to get his feet under him. Furfrou hit with Headbutt, knocking Gogoat off balance momentarily. Our opponent turned and finished Shanjin off with Razor Leaf.

I grimaced and returned my Frogadier. But our foe had taken a beating. He wouldn't last long. And sure enough, one last Bite from Furfrou ended the battle.

With all three of our foes defeated, the Pokémon Go gym automatically returned them to their Pokéballs, and then sent them back to their trainers. The yellow lights in the platform blinked off, then began to glow red for the color of Team Valor.

Ben and I grinned and slapped high-fives. Hari cheered and jumped up and down.

Ben registered Furfrou to stay at the gym for a while. I hesitated, touching my Sylveon's Pokéball. But I switched to my Vivillon. I was always paranoid about my Pokémon being stolen (It's happened before) and I didn't want to leave a tempting target behind. Besides my Vivillon was pretty tough.

"All right," I murmured as I set Vivillon's Pokéball into the slot. Do your best to hold the gym! And have fun."


	6. Ocean and Ice

Some of my Pokemon names look pretty random. But most of them have a reason.

For Shanjin, I started thinking of names that made me think of bubbles. For some reason that made me start listing fizzy drinks. I don't actually know if gin is fizzy, but I like the sound of the word gin. So I threw it at the end of a name (with a change in spelling).

Yarak is a word used in falconry (at least in some countries). It more or less means that the bird has grown into the feel of the hunt.

Anakri, who will be introduced in this chapter. Anacharis is a type of water plant. You see it in fish bowls all the time. I twisted it a bit (though I just realized I've been saying this word wrong all along _ ).

My common method of naming is finding an interesting word, then changing it.

* * *

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Frogadier, Yarak- Fletchinder, Nelly – Amaura

* * *

Chapter 6: Ocean and Ice

I'm as happy as anyone to hang out on the beach; relaxing in the warm sand, running through sea foam, exploring tide pools. But if there are new Pokémon in the area, I can't sit still. Ben, Hari, and most of our Pokémon were enjoying themselves while I perched on a jut of rock with my fishing rod. My target for the day was Skrelp. I'd been wanting one ever since we got to Kalos.

Yarak circled overhead, keeping watch from the sky. Shanjin swam back and forth, searching for any promising Skrelp he could herd toward me. As I sat there with my fishing rod, I watched the Wailmer splash around in the distance. A school of Horsea glided past and I lifted my rod away so I wouldn't snag one or disturb them.

That was when something smacked me in the back of the skull. My head jerked forward and I nearly toppled into the ocean. My rod dropped out of my hand and slipped beneath the waves. My hair was dripping with salt water, as though someone had beamed me with a water balloon.

When I had my balance back, I whirled around, ready to shout at Hari for playing some prank. But Hari wasn't there. Instead a Skrelp was peeking out of the water, looking highly amused. She'd used water gun on the back of my head. She blew a few bubbles, pleased at how well her prank had gone.

I rubbed water out of my eyes. "Okay, you snuck up on me. I'm guessing this is a challenge. If that's your plan, then I'm going to catch you."

A second jet of water blasted me straight in the face.

Spluttering, I used telepathy to shout out, _Shanjin, catch that thing!_

Shanjin darted past me in pursuit of the fleeing Skrelp. Overhead, Yarak wheeled around and followed from above. I called out, asking him to slow down. He hesitated, but dropped back.

Under the water, I saw two blurs darting and circling – blue pursuing pink. Skrelp led a fierce race, circling around my rock, doubling back, diving beneath Shanjin, circling around again to blow bubbles in his face. Man, she was fast and clever. A bit of a troublemaker, but she looked like she'd be a good fighter. I spat out a bit more brine and grinned. I had a plan.

Shanjin dove low and Skrelp darted above him. She blasted a cloud of ink to blind him.

But she'd already fallen into our trap. A flock of Wingull was circling overhead and from their midst, Yarak dropped out of the sky and hooked his talons around Skrelp. He lifted her out of the water where she wriggled, helpless.

And I threw my Pokéball.

…

I woke up the next morning a bit disoriented. I'd had another dream about a flying Pokémon. I still couldn't tell what kind of Pokémon it was. I wasn't even sure if it was related to that other dream, of if it was just a normal flying dream.

I headed to the Pokémon Center lobby while Ben was still getting ready for the day. Hari, of course, was already outside. I checked in at the PC and found that Vira, my Vivillon, had already returned from the Pokémon Go gym. It had only been two days! Yeesh, there was a high turnover rate for those things.

We still had time to train for our next gym battle. My new Skrelp, Anakri, had some good water moves, but I wasn't sure I would use her. The Cyllage City Gym was a two Pokémon battle, and I was probably going to stick with Shanjin and Nelly. They shouldn't have any trouble against the rock types, and they had more experience in battles than Anakri did. Though I had to keep myself from getting over confident. Just because you have a type advantage doesn't guarantee a victory. Overconfidence is the fastest way to lose, even against someone who normally couldn't match you.

When we arrived at a deserted corner of the beach, a school of wild Luvdisc and Horsea volunteered to help us practice. They drifted in the shallows of the beach, shooting water attacks for my team to dodge.

"How are you feeling, Shanjin?"

My Frogadier grinned and cart-wheeled across the beach, dodging a barrage of Waterguns. _"I think it's close. It feels_ very _close."_

"Do you think it will happen before we go to the gym?"

Shanjin gave a flick of his tongue and grinned.

I grinned too. And when I turned my attention to the rest of my team, I kept glancing back at Shanjin.

Nelly, my little Amaura, was not the most agile of Pokémon. She was practicing with Anakri. If Nelly faced her opponent and flattened herself against the ground, she presented the smallest target. Nelly tucked her legs and rolled to the side, dodging a jet of ink Anakri spit at her. It was tricky for the Amaura to roll, but she was getting better at it. It was one of the best chances she had of dodging. When she evolved she would be too big to roll, so she'd have to take advantage of it while she could. But when she evolved, she would be big enough to shrug off a lot more attacks.

I shook my head. It wasn't really fair to anticipate evolution. I had to appreciate my Pokémons' talents in the moment. Plus Polaris had never evolved. She had always been a Ponyta.

Nelly had another trick we were working on too. I'd used it before with other Ice Type Pokémon that had trouble moving fast on land. And she was starting to get more comfortable using this technique.

Yarak wouldn't be taking part in the gym battle, but he was helping the others train. And though I hoped I wouldn't need Polaris, she was helping too.

I glanced back at Shanjin, who was tussling with a wild Clauncher. He knocked Clauncher off its feet and kicked her back into the ocean.

And then Shanjin began to glow. I grinned and watched, enthralled, as my Frogadier grew into a Greninja. When the glow of evolution faded, Shanjin looked down at himself. By the time I ran over to him, he was beaming and ready to slap me a high-five.

"Okay," I said, still grinning like an idiot. "I think we're ready to take that gym."

…

Nelly faced down the Tyrunt. She was trying to look tough, but I could tell she was nervous. She'd never battled in a gym before.

Gym leader Grant called out an attack, but before Tyrunt could act, Nelly let out a blast of Icy Wind.

Tyrunt shivered and took a couple steps back. Nelly used the hesitation to her advantage, striking with Aurora Beam. The attack missed, but froze a slick layer of ice over the ground. Tyrunt charged with Take Down, but slipped on the ice. Nelly easily jumped out of the way.

Half of the gym was taken up by a huge climbing wall. Nelly couldn't climb herself, but she shoved off of the wall and skated across the ice, straight at Tyrunt. Tyrunt panicked and managed to get his feet under him. He used Bite. Nelly squealed, but twisted and used Aurora Beam at point blank range.

Tyrunt was down.

Grant sent out his second Pokémon. The light from the Pokéball spread into a towering shape, solidifying to form into a massive Tyrantum.

Nelly gasped backed away. I returned her. It was too much for a little girl like her. I sent out Shanjin. He leapt to action the moment he was free of the Pokéball. In a moment he was half way up the climbing cliff, swinging from handhold to handhold, using his tongue as an extra hand. Tyrantum stomped up to the wall and opened his gaping mouth to bite. Shanjin's Water Shuriken struck his opponent squarely in the mouth. By the time Tyrantum regained his senses, Shanjin was at the top of the cliff, out of range of Tyrantum's teeth. He started shooting jets of water down at the huge dinosaur, who bellowed in frustration.

Tyrantum whirled and struck his massive tail into the cliff face. The entire wall rattled. Shanjin slipped, but regained his grip. The rock beneath him cracked. I gasped as he slipped and tumbled from the wall. He struck his tongue out to grab the cliff, but more rock dislodged and showered down around Shanjin. He landed in a heap of dust and stones, knocked out.

Tyrantum roared in triumph. I bit my lip and returned my Greninja. Usually when I got creative with my surroundings, it gave me an edge in the battle, but this time it had backfired. I sent out Nelly again. It was up to her. Not an ideal situation, but we could make it work. Nelly had been practicing her new maneuvers.

Nelly glanced up and saw the huge Pokémon looming before her. Her little legs began to shake.

" _Get under the cliff,"_ I called through telepathy.

Tyrantum raised his foot to stomp, but she rolled to the side and began running as fast as her little legs could take her. She dove under a ledge of the climbing wall.

" _Freeze the floor!"_

Nelly squinted her eyes shut and started to send out blasts of ice, freezing the floor into a skating rink. Tyrantum found a dry patch near the cliff and slammed his tail into the wall. The rock stared to crack again.

"Get out of there!" I shouted, afraid she'd be buried under the rubble.

Nelly kicked off of the wall and slid across the ice on her belly. Tyrantum turned and started to come after her, but his huge feet slipped on the ice. He fell with a thundering crash. Nelly leapt to action, using Powder Snow to chill Tyrantum into submission.

Nelly had won her first gym battle.


	7. Stones in the Path

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Greninja, Yarak- Fletchinder, Nelly – Amaura, Anakri-Skrelp

* * *

Chapter 7: Stones in the Path

With Cyllage City behind us, we let out our Pokémon to enjoy the meadows. Kalos was in bloom. Grasses and bushes along the path were flushed with vibrant colors. Wherever you went in Kalos, the land was as beautiful as a painting. Before lunch we stopped to take a break and Ben and I each caught a Hawlucha. Ben so rarely tries to catch new Pokémon that I was as excited for him as I was for me. It seemed like the day was off to a great start.

Emphasis on "seemed."

As we continued on, we followed the road around a sharp bend. The meadows and flowers seemed to pull away, leaving a surreal expanse of green and gray before us. I blinked, disoriented by the lack of color. This wasn't any normal field. The clearing was dotted with towering stone monoliths. There were hundreds of them, like gray teeth sticking out of the earth.

I shivered and had trouble lifting my feet to move forward.

Ben was a few paces ahead. He paused and looked back. I wasn't the only one who had stopped. Hari was standing next to me, looking bewildered. Our Pokémon were antsy too.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

Hari shook his head, at a loss for words. I opened my mouth, but couldn't form a coherent thought.

Polaris pawed at the ground and tossed her head. _"The earth here has bled."_

"Bled?" I repeated, finally getting my tongue to work.

"What did she say?" Ben asked.

"The earth has bled," I repeated. "You mean the land was damaged here?"

Polaris didn't seem to know herself what she meant. _"I think so."_

"But there's no danger now, right?"

She shook her head. " _Let's hurry through."_

I nodded. "I think most of us are in agreement for that." If I had my Charizard or Braviary with me, I would have flown past all of this without hesitation. But I was overreacting. Something bad had happened here in the past, but that didn't mean there was any danger now. Though I was starting to feel nauseous. I had some psychic powers, which let me use telepathy to communicate with Pokémon. But that also meant I was sensitive to weird energy. This wasn't the first time I felt ill. It had been a hundred times worse when I encountered Shadow Pokémon. Even Black City had made me feel nauseous (though to be fair I had gotten a bad flu there, but I still blame it on Black City).

I'd been walking for a while, to stretch my legs. But I climbed onto Polaris's back. Ben and Hari got on Ben's Tauros. There was no reason to linger here.

We entered the strange field of weathered stones. The uneven stones threw off my depth perception. Some looked like they were ten feet away, but they turned out to be a hundred feet distant. Then all of a sudden we were next to a stone I was sure was on the other side of the clearing. My head was swimming, trying to make sense of it. I glanced behind us. It felt like we had only just stepped beyond the first stones, but now it looked like we were in the middle, surrounded on all sides. The stones were closing in. They were above and below and moving closer.

My vision blurred and spun. Nothing felt real.

Then the stones linked together, forming a ceiling and walls all around.

…

 _I'm standing surrounded by plain concrete walls. Again. They bring me in here sometimes. I think they're observing me. After all, there's a window and two people are outside, watching me. They're talking. I guess they think I can't hear, or that I'm not smart enough to understand. But I do._

 _I'm not too interested in what they're saying, but I listen because I know they're talking about me._

" _He's been passing all of the tests. He's a powerful fighter, and thinks fast. His focus and obedience are good as well. I think it's finally time we use him in the field."_

 _The other man responded. "We'll give you your trial run. But understand this. So far this entire project has been a disaster. This is the only successful Pokémon developed from the project. You can't afford to fail again."_

…

I shivered and opened my eyes. Everything was blurry and white. I lifted a hand and found something warm and soft beneath me. Fur. It was several moments before I pieced together where I was and what I was seeing.

I was draped astride Polaris's back, my face resting against her shoulder. She was moving carefully so I wouldn't slip off. Polaris felt me move and glance back. She looked worried.

"Wha happened?" I murmured, my words slurred.

"Cara!" Hari was at my side, and a second later Ben was there as well. Both of them looked worried.

I tried to sit up and Ben reached out to steady me. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"Dizzy." I still sounded drunk.

"You passed out," Ben said. "You fell off Polaris. Would have hit the ground, but Shanjin caught you."

I looked around and saw Shanjin standing behind Polaris, ready to jump up and catch me again if I needed help. I smiled in gratitude. Falling off a horse was no joke, especially when there were rocks of various sizes dotted around the grass.

Speaking of which, we were almost out of the strange field of stones. That was a relief. I started feeling more clear-headed just thinking that. "Let's get out of here. Can we keep walking? I think I'll feel better once this place is behind us." Polaris started moving forward again. Shanjin stayed close by my side, though I felt a lot better. "Thanks guys."

As we continued forward, something nagged at the back of my mind. When we finally stepped past the last stone, my head cleared some. And I realized what was bothering me. The dream. Of course. Now that my head didn't feel like it was packed with lint, it was obvious. That hadn't been a normal dream. It was the same bird Pokémon I'd dreamed about for the past few weeks. The dreams were vague, but they'd felt too consistent to be normal. Now I knew for sure.

It wasn't the first time I'd dreamt about Pokémon who were far away. It didn't happen often, but sometimes my telepathy would like with distant Pokémon. But only if I had some link to them. Which meant that this bird Pokémon was connected to me somehow. And he was a prisoner. He was basically a tool.

Like Mewtwo had been.

I had to find him. But how? I had no idea where he was. He was always indoors. It must be a large building, but I didn't even know what region it was in. I didn't even know what kind of Pokémon he was!

I bit my lip, feeling helpless. What could I do?

I still felt antsy and anxious. I was hoping I would calm down once the stones were behind us. And I did feel better, but I was still queasy. It wasn't helping my thought processes.

It wasn't long until we reached Geosenge Town. I was cranky, nauseous, and upset. So when I saw strange spikes of rock jutting out of the center of town, I almost lost it. I wanted to yell to the others that we should pass right through town and camp at the foot of the nearby mountain. I knew I was being ridiculous. But this was the first time that a bunch of rocks had made me pass out, so I was paranoid. Plus we all needed a rest, especially me. Running off into the wilderness was not going to help any of us after a long trek through strange surroundings.

I took a breath, trying to stop myself from acting like a jerk dictator. "I'm going to hang out in the Pokémon Center for the rest of the day. I'll look around town tomorrow."

"Sounds good for me too," Ben agreed.

"Yeah," Hari mumbled. I glanced at him in surprise. He never wanted to sit still inside. He always had to be running around, burning off his never-ending energy. But he looked weary. The stones had affected him too. Something had happened back there. Maybe the internet had some answers. And I had the rest of the evening off.

Except the internet failed me. We weren't the first to feel something weird along Route 10. Although I didn't find anyone else who had passed out there. I was lucky enough to be the first. Everyone seemed to agree that something had happened there long, long ago. But that event was now lost to time.

Well, there was nothing I could do about it then. I'd just be happy to leave this weird place.

…

I wasn't too thrilled to explore Geosenge the next day. I felt a little better, but still anxious and queasy. I think we all intended to leave once we'd seen the main part of town. Ben wasn't as sensitive to this kind of stuff, but he could see how it was beating down Hari and I. Even the Pokémon preferred to stay in their Pokéballs.

We stepped into a market to get some fruit for a simple lunch. And when we stepped outside, someone called to us.

"Cara! Hey, Cara!"

I turned, confused. I didn't know anyone around here. And I hardly knew anyone with a Kalos accent. There was a girl coming toward us, waving. She was dressed in a snug-fitting shirt, red boots, and a short, wavy skirt. Everything was red, with highlights of white and black. I recognized her face immediately, but her appearance was so unexpected that it was several seconds before my brain seemed to register that this was Fleur. All of her shabbiness was gone. Her clothes were clean and un-tattered, and the street dust was gone from her dark skin.

I gaped at her, and finally said, "Fleur! Hi!"

She spread her arms to draw attention to her already vivid outfit. "I got a job! And new clothes! Though I did fix them up a bit. It wasn't really my style." She twirled, making her skirt flare out like flames.

"You look great!" Something was nagging at the back of my head again. It was still hard to think clearly, curse it! The outfit. Yes, that was it. And the belt buckle. It was the same red uniform and logo as the people who had raided the cave. If Fleur had modified the clothes, maybe that's why it took me a few seconds to make the connection. It's not like blaring red clothes are all that subtle.

"Um," I said, hesitating. "Where do you work?" She finally had a job. She had proper clothes, and somewhere to stay. How was I going to tell her that these people might be super shady?

"It's called Team Flare," Fleur said. "I ran into them in Lumiose City. Did you know that their leader is friends with the champion of Kalos? Usually they charge a fee to join, but I met with the leader personally. He saw me battle and said I was strong enough to join. He didn't mind that I didn't have any money or family or anything."

"W-what does Team Flare do?" I asked, trying to keep myself from fidgeting.

"I've been helping with a bunch of jobs. We get to go all over Kalos! We bought a few windmills between here and Cyllage City. I've been helping with those for the last few days. I've helped them catch some Pokémon too!"

"That's great, Fleur. It's great that you have a job. Um… Learn about Team Flare. Find out what they're goal is. It's good to know who you're working for, whatever the circumstances are."

Fleur tilted her head, bemused. "Sure."


	8. Weaving Dreams

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Greninja, Yarak-Fletchinder, Nelly–Amaura, Anakri-Skrelp

* * *

Chapter 8: Weaving Dreams

I let out a tense breath and a shudder ran down my spine. With that motion the lingering queasiness finally seemed to flee my body. It was a relief to get away from Geosenge. Not that there was anything wrong with the town itself. It was beautiful, but that heavy atmosphere was beating us down. Now that we were at the foot of the mountains, we felt liberated. It was such a relief to think, feel, and breathe freely.

It was late afternoon when we reached the entrance to Reflection Cave. I called to the others. Ben and Hari slid off of Tauros, and I dismounted from Polaris.

"I think we should stop here for the day," I said. "We probably can't make it through Reflection Cave before night. And I, uh, I need to make an important call. Now that my head doesn't feel like it's full of ragged wool anymore."

"Me too," Hari murmured.

"Jeez, that place really took it out of you, didn't it?" Ben asked. While he was lucky he didn't have to deal with some of the weird side effects of being psychic, it was obvious that he felt left out when Hari and I could understand Pokémon and he couldn't.

"Thanks for dealing with our weird break-downs, Ben," I said.

He gave a tiny snort. "There's far weirder stuff about traveling with you guys." Tauros followed him off the trail toward a promising campsite. "Who do you need to call?"

I hesitated, wondering if I was just overreacting. "I've been having some strange dreams. And yesterday when we were passing through those stones, I had another when I passed out. I wasn't able to process it very clearly back in Geosenge. But now I'm pretty sure that they're more than dreams. It's about a Pokémon. Some kind of bird Pokémon that's trapped, and being used. I have to find out where he is. I have to help him. If I'm having dreams about him, then I'm connected to him."

Ben thought for a few seconds. "So when you say make a call…" He broke off, and I could tell he understood.

"Mewtwo!" Hari exclaimed.

I nodded. "My head's cleared up, so I can contact him now. If anyone can track the trail of my dreams, it's him. Let's get camp set up." I took one of the travel bags from Polaris's back and we started unpacking. There was a convenient stream nearby, just deep enough that I could let Anakri out along with all the other Pokémon. Yarak had been out all along, flying overhead and stretching his wings.

When everything was set up, I left the others in camp and started walking. Yarak and Polaris followed.

It was a beautiful forest. Like everything else in Kalos. Walking in the shadow of the mountain was relaxing, and I needed to relax after being around those strange oppressive stones. Flocks of Starly flitted through the trees, and I saw a group of Nidoran sleeping nearby. After ten minutes I edged up the side of the mountain and found a nice ledge to sit on, where I was just high enough to look out over the forest. I smiled and settled down cross-legged. It took several minutes of slow breathing before I felt centered enough to reach across the distance with my telepathy.

" _Mewtwo, are you there?"_

A couple seconds later, I felt the answer. " _What's wrong?"_

I smiled. _"My reputation must be pretty bad if you automatically think I'm in trouble whenever I call."_

" _It wouldn't be the first time."_ Luckily he seemed amused.

" _Yeah. At least today it isn't anything extreme. I'll make some small talk first. How are you? Are you traveling or are you at home?"_

I could almost sense him smirking. _"I've been home for a while. You mentioned that Team Rocket was trying cloning again, so I thought it was best to stay off the radar. Even though I wiped their memories, I have no interest in being found again."_

I grimaced. _"Yeah, I wish I could have done more. Luckily their group has lost most of their power. But I'm glad Giovanni can't remember me either. Anyway, hug Lily and Twilight for me. And send my love to everyone."_

" _I will."_

I could tell he wanted to know what was wrong, so I sighed and told him about the dreams. _"I don't know where he is. I don't even know what he is! But I have to find him. I thought you might be able to track the dream somehow."_

There was a pause as Mewtwo thought over the options. _"Contact me right before you go to sleep tonight. I think I can track the dream back to the source."_

I nodded. _"Thank you, Mewtwo."_

The connection faded away and I opened my eyes. Yarak was perched on Polaris's back. They were waiting for me. I smiled and stretched my legs. "Hey, what do you guys think of trying to catch a Dedenne on our way back to camp?"

…

It was pretty obvious to everyone that I was anxious to get through tonight and find out about the strange bird Pokémon. But because of that anticipation and unease, it would probably take a couple hours before I finally fell asleep. Whenever I was desperate to get to sleep, it was more elusive than ever. You know, short of exhaustion. Luckily I had an idea.

"Yarak," I called to my Fletchinder. He glanced down at me from his perch in the branches above the camp. Then he tipped forward off the branch and fluttered down to land on my outstretched forearm.

"Hey bud," I murmured under my breath. "I think there are Chingling that live wild around here. Can you ask one of them to come by camp? We'll give them some food in return."

Yarak bobbed his head and launched skyward. He spiraled up into the darkening evening sky, then seemed to hesitate mid-flap. He rocketed forward, tucking into a barrel-roll. And his boy began to glow. Moments later, his wings burst open in a spray of embers. He was no longer a Fletchinder, but a beautiful Talonflame. Without a backward glance, he shot off over the trees.

I smiled and settled down in my sleeping bag. Nelly was curled up next to me. Hari was already asleep on a patch of grass with Gro and Shanjin. Ben was sitting up, typing out a project on his laptop. He paused to look over at me. "What do you need a Chingling for?"

"They can use Yawn," I murmured. "Because I won't be able to get to sleep otherwise."

"Please tell me that you don't know every single move any Pokémon can learn."

I snorted. "I'm not an encyclopedia. I can name every Pokémon and their types. With a couple exceptions. But their moves are too much for me. I just used my Pokédex to see what Pokémon live here, and if any of then knew Sing or Sleep Powder or something. Anyway, once Chingling uses Yawn, can you give it the rest of our blackberries to eat?" We had half a basket left from what we'd bought in Geosenge.

"Sure, assuming it doesn't put me to sleep to."

I rolled my eyes and reached out telepathically to tell Mewtwo that I was almost ready. It was almost twenty minutes before Yarak returned. He landed beside me, and Nelly wriggled a bit but didn't stir. I reached out to stroke Yarak's warm feathers. "Look how handsome you got!"

He inclined his head, then knelt to show me a little shape crouched on his back. He'd given the wild Chingling a ride. Chingling hopped from her perch and drifted to the ground.

"Hey," I said, scratching the side of her head. "Thanks for coming! I was wondering if you could help me get to sleep. We've got some blackberries for you if you use Yawn on me."

Chingling blinked, surprised that someone was willing to feed her just to put them to sleep. She probably thought it was too good to be true. Seconds later I felt myself slipping into sleep.

…

 _I felt like I was in a scratchy sweater that was being pulled and twisted. Everything was thick and uncomfortable. I vaguely sensed that this was a dream and not real. There was an even fainter sense that Mewtwo was trying to use my dream to find a psychic link to the mystery bird Pokémon. He was trying not to make it too unpleasant for me, but what I had asked was not easy. Though my reason was muddled as it often is during dreams, I knew I had to find something important._

 _There was something ahead of me. I dragged myself toward it, feeling like I had to make my way to the light at the end of the tunnel. There was a noise. Some kind of mumbling. Voices. I pulled myself closer, willing to hear. Finally I made out words._

" _It has met all of the requirements. We're willing to give 425 a test run."_

 _The wringing-out sensation intensified. I felt like I was being stretched into taffy. There was nothing like bone-crunching pain, but it was a bizarre discomfort that made me squirm. Mewtwo was in my dream connecting to the bird Pokémon, and jumping into the mind of the man who sounded like he was in charge. I was the unfortunate bridge to this convoluted link. The voices tuned in and out of my focus as a wave of dizziness hit me. It must have been a solid minute before I was able to make out the next words._

" _Where will it be sent for its first assignment?"_

" _We have a place for it to go. It's going to go to…" the way he spoke was rambling and confused. Mewtwo had got in his head. "Going to Kalos," he finally finished._

" _Kalos?" The other man exclaimed. "But why so far?"_

 _Mewtwo lost his connection, and when he slipped I did to. As both of us dropped off of the dream, we crashed back to where we started. I lay there, drained and nauseous. Then there was a soft touch to my forehead._

" _I think it worked, Cara. They'll bring him to you, and you can do the rest. I hope that wasn't too rough. You'll sleep soundly now."_

 _Mewtwo withdrew his hand and I sunk into peaceful, blank, unconsciousness._


	9. Mega

There are so many inconsistencies in the Pokémon anime (Professor Oak traveled through Johto as a kid, as shown in the 4th movie, but he still only knows of the original 150 Pokémon during the first season). And there are even more inconsistencies when you add the games and manga. I've always taken bits and pieces of all of them. Though I've severely neglected the anime recently. There are too many things to watch TT^TT

So now I have to think how to work the mechanics of a new battle technique into my fanfic.

Also, Fire Spin is so pathetic in the games. But in the anime it always looked so powerful! So, that's what I'd rather go with XD

* * *

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Greninja, Yarak-Talonflame, Nelly–Amaura, Anakri-Skrelp

Patch has a mention also. He's the clone Charizard from the first Pokémon movie.

* * *

Chapter 9: Mega

* * *

I don't drink. Yeah, we're not old enough, but I've never even been able to stand the taste of alcohol. Still, this morning is what I imagine a hangover would feel like. My body felt heavy and thick and my skull seemed to be stuffed with puffy, angry bugs. Was this better or worse than when I'd passed out in the fields of stones?

I opened my eyes and shuddered. Polaris raised her head and stepped over to me, lowering her muzzle to nudge my jaw. _"Are you okay?"_

"I dunno," I murmured.

Ben and Hari heard my voice and stood, coming toward me as well. It was late morning. They'd let me sleep in.

"Did it work?" Hari asked.

"Mmmuh-" I cleared my throat and tried again. "Mewtwo said it worked. He managed to convince the bad guys to send the Pokémon here to Kalos. So I can find him then." I sounded kind of drunk and slurred, but at least I was mostly coherent.

"Was it that hard on you?" Ben asked. I hadn't even tried to sit up yet, and he looked concerned.

"I don't think I fit in my body anymore." At this point I think I deserve to be a bit melodramatic. I managed to wriggle an arm out of my partially unzipped sleeping bag and reached out to Ben. He took my arm and helped ease me up to sitting. Nelly came up behind me and settled down as a backrest. The buzzing in my head intensified with the movement, then faded a bit.

"Thank you," I murmured to both of them. "I've been through some pretty crazy stuff, but I think last night was the most unpleasant thing I've ever felt. Never offer to act as a psychic bridge."

"I don't think I ever would," Ben said, smiling.

"Can I get some water?" Hari dashed off to get a cup. He handed it to me and I took tiny sips. The water seemed to cool my insides and calm me down. "I think we can still make it through the cave today. Though I might be kind of slow to get ready."

"Take your time," Ben said. After a few minutes he helped me stand and I wobbled around, trying to regain my balance. Within seconds, Hari had pounced on my sleeping bag and mat, and was rolling them up for me.

"Thanks," I said. "I think I'll hold off on breakfast until, uh, my stomach doesn't feel like a flopping Magikarp."

We got camp packed up mostly because of Ben and Hari. By then I could ride Polaris without falling off. Usually I don't ride her through caves, which have uneven floors and low ceilings. But today was an exception. So late that morning we found ourselves setting off into Reflection cave. It's a beautiful cave, don't get me wrong. But it's pretty trippy going through there when you're zonked out from some weird psychic experiment. Many of the walls are so smooth that they reflect like ice. But everything is just a little bit distorted, so things look bigger or farther away than they actually are. The flickering from Polaris's fiery mane made it even weirder than it otherwise would have been.

I took deep breaths and tried to keep my eyes glued to Polaris's shoulders. Her hoof caught on a knob of rock and she tripped, nearly hurling me over her head and into a wall. Somehow I managed to catch myself, and I just rolled over her neck and onto my back on the ground. I got the wind knocked out of me, but it could have been a lot worse. Polaris pranced around, distraught at the near accident. Well, it was a good time for a break. I ate a little, then went over to the side to meditate. After a few minutes, I felt a little clearer.

"Hey, you have a Pokémon from Kanto!"

I opened my eyes. A girl had come around the corner and was standing there. She had a red and white dress on, and sported a long blonde ponytail.

I blinked. "Yeah, I'm from Kanto. I'm doing the Kalos Pokémon League."

"Perfect! Then I challenge you to a match."

I wasn't in the best shape for battle strategy, but what the heck. I was steadily improving, and some part of me figured that a random trainer I met in a cave shouldn't be too hard to beat. I keep telling myself not to get cocky, but sometimes it happens when I lower my guard.

Ben and Hari backed away and I faced the girl. She sent out Hawlucha. I matched her bird Pokémon with Yarak. Yarak had been in his Pokéball, since it was difficult for him to fly in a cave. But with a few quick glanced, he sized up his surroundings.

Hawlucha was already on the move, bounding back and forth between boulders and stalagmites. Yarak had restricted movement, and Hawlucha's acrobatics made it difficult to get a lock on him. From Hawlucha's speed and agility, I could tell that this trainer knew her stuff. Hawlucha had the advantage in this restricted space. I tightened my focus and telepathically sent my plan to Yarak. He nodded and spun out of the way as Hawlucha slashed with Aerial Ace. A moment later Yarak had to swerve to avoid a column of stone. Hawlucha seemed familiar with the terrain, because he bounded from one stone to another without missing a beat. He leapt into the air and struck with Wing Attack, but Yarak shook it off and darted behind a stalactite. Hawlucha leapt once more, aiming Aerial Ace at the spot where Yarak should have come out from behind the rock. But Yarak, hidden from view, wheeled around and doubled back to find Hawlucha's exposed back. Yarak's feathers burst into flame, and he struck Hawlucha with Flame Charge. Hawlucha collapsed.

The trainer smiled as she returned her Hawlucha. "Pretty strong," she said. "But I have something new to show you." She threw out her next Pokéball, revealing Lucario.

"I have a Lucario. They're not new to me."

The girl smirked. "Oh, that's not what I meant by showing you something new." She raised her hand, clenching it into a fist. She had fingerless gloves on, and there was some kind of gem set in the back of her left glove. It started to glow. "You're about to see one of the ancient treasures of Kalos, known by few and understood by no one."

The glowing of the stone intensified, and I noticed that Lucario had a band on his wrist with another stone set in it. A moment later, Lucario began to glow too. And then he began to change.

My mouth fell open as I watched. Lucario was evolving. There was no other word for it. But I'd never heard of Lucario evolving. True, there were always new Pokémon and new evolutions being discovered, like Sylveon. But I always tried to keep up to date with all the new research.

When the light faded, the evolved Lucario was standing in front of me. He was larger, and his aura pulsed with overflowing power. He threw back his head, howling out his excitement for the battle.

Yarak landed on a rock, hesitating at this new and unexpected turn.

"Okay, Yarak. We'ver got something new. Let's go all out," I whispered. "Flame Charge again! But only when you have an opening." We needed to buy some time and see what we were up against.

Yarak looked nervous, but he nodded and took to the air. He immediately started weaving through the stone columns again, keeping a wary eye on his opponent and keeping the rocks between them. Lucario watched for a few seconds, then spread his hands, creating a long bone. He leapt forward, wielding the bone like a sword to smash a stalactite from the cave ceiling. It crashed to the ground, revealing a startled Yarak hiding behind it. Yarak had no time to react as Lucario swung the bone and swatted Yarak out of the air. He crashed to the ground and lay still.

I inhaled sharply. That was Bone Rush, right? A ground type move. But it had knocked Yarak out.

I returned him and nodded to Polaris. She stepped forward, her expression tense and focused. The evolved Lucario launched forward immediately, swinging the bone in a powerful ark. Polaris jumped back and spat out a mouthful of flames. Lucario flinched and backed away. He'd moved too close too fast and gotten embers in his eyes. Polaris didn't give him a moment to recover, but bore down on him, flailing with her hooves. Lucario stumbled backward and dropped the bone, which dissolved. Lucario recovered, finding a strong foothold and launching forward with Power-Up-Punch. He struck Polaris in the jaw and she staggered to the side. Lucario drew another bone. He swept Polaris's legs out from under her and she crashed to the ground. Lucario leapt into the air, ready to strike the finishing blow with Bone Rush. But even on the ground, Polaris wasn't beaten. She opened her mouth and unleashed her fearsome Fire Spin.

When the flames dispersed, Lucario collapsed. Then to my astonishment, he began to glow and the strange evolution faded, leaving a normal Lucario behind. Polaris got her feet under her and stood, wincing.

The girl whistled, returning Lucario. "Wow, that was something. No wonder you're one of the champions."

I glanced up at her, startled. "You know who I am?"

She laughed. "Yeah, sorry. I'm Korrina, the gym leader of Shalour City. Which reminds me." She approached me and held out her hand. For a moment I thought she wanted to shake hands, but instead she dropped something into my palm. A gym badge. "I guess it's a bit unorthodox for the gym leader to challenge someone else to a gym match, but I knew you'd come by eventually, so this saves time. Grant and Viola, the gym leaders you already beat, told me you were a champion in other regions. They said you had a Ponyta, so I knew it had to be you. Ponyta aren't common in Kalos. And wow, that was a great battle. Your Ponyta didn't have too much trouble against my Mega Lucario."

"Mega Lucario," I repeated.

"Yep! Come on. I'll go to Shalour City with you and tell you about Mega Evolution on the way."

The battle had really gotten my adrenaline going, and I felt good enough to walk the rest of the way. Which was good because the battle, brief as it had been, had been pretty intense for Polaris. Even so, I walked next to her, one hand on her shoulder to steady myself.

Ben and Hari fell into step with us and we made all the proper introductions. Then Korrina started her class about mega evolution.

"We've been trying not to spread the word about it too much lately," she said, "because there have been some strange people around."

"Team Flare," I said.

"We've met them," Ben muttered darkly.

"Oh yeah?" Korrina asked. "Well, you're right. They've been looking for fossils and stones and such, and some of us from the Tower of Mastery are concerned they might be looking for mega stones."

"I don't' know what the Tower of Mastery is, or what mega stones are," Hari said.

Ben and I nodded in agreement.

"Right. Well, the Tower of Mastery is where we study mega evolution. For mega evolution, you need three things. A strong bond with your Pokémon, a keystone that the trainer holds, and a stone for the Pokémon you want to evolve. So I just used Lucarionite. The key stone and the Lucarionite sync up with each other and give the Pokémon a big power boost for the duration of the battle. And the keystone only has enough power to mega evolve one Pokémon per battle. Make sense?"

"Kind of. But how does it work?"

"That's what no one really understands. It's believed the Yveltal and Xerneas put some of their power into special stones, and their power is what triggers the Mega Evolution. It was discovered in Kalos a few generations ago, but it's only recently that it's started to become more known around the region. We've only just started distributing mega rings to some of the league members. And here's one for you too." She pressed something else into my hand. It looked like a marble with a swirling design in the center. It was warm and I could feel power glimmering inside of it.

"If you come to the Tower of Mastery, I can give you a Mega Stone. We only have a couple left. Actually… I don't suppose you have a Charizard?"

"I do," I said, a bit bewildered by all of this.

"Perfect! I have a Charizardite Y. So you can mega evolve your Charizard."

I think it took me far too long to respond. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Plus I was probably still a little blurry from last night. Charren could evolve? Could Patch evolve too? That would be a sight. He was so strong already. "Thank you," I stammered." Unbidden, I got an image of Mewtwo mega evolving. I quickly shook my head. That was too much.


	10. The Cost of Fashion

Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Greninja, Yarak-Talonflame, Nelly–Amaura, Anakri-Skrelp

(There's also a brief mention of Patch – he's the cloned Charizard from the first movie. And also Charren- one of Cara's first Pokémon and also a Charizard))

* * *

Chapter 10: The Cost of Fashion

* * *

I couldn't seem to stop touching my necklace. Korrina had turned my mega keystone into a pendant, and though I intended to keep it hidden under my shirt, I kept pulling it out and rolling it between my fingers.

I hadn't used it yet. None of the Pokémon on my team could Mega Evolve. I had the Charizardite Y mega stone for Charren (or maybe even Patch), but I hadn't transferred either to my team. I wasn't really sure what to make of mega evolution. I guess there was some part of me that thought my Pokémon were strong enough without it. Plus I'd run into plenty of maniacs obsessed with finding weird ways to power up Pokémon. The thought of some quick easy solution to that problem felt so strange. So I had beat the next gym in Coumarine without mega evolution.

Despite all of that, I couldn't keep my hands off the keystone. I stuffed it back under my shirt and placed my hands firmly on Polaris's shoulders. We were riding through the badlands. The earth was hard and red under her hooves, and crazy bursts of wind threw dirt into our faces. Aside from Polaris, Tauros, and Gro, the rest of the Pokémon were in their Pokéballs to spare them the hot, dusty path. I wanted to get out of here and back to Lumiose City.

To distract myself, I thought of the last dream I'd had about the mystery bird Pokémon. It had been the night after I received my mega keystone. Though the dream had been brief, it was proof that Mewtwo's interference had paid off. The Pokémon I was dreaming about was getting information about his first mission, all the way over in Kalos. That was the last I'd heard of him. I could only hope the dreams would lead me to him when he arrived.

I pulled my eyes away from the dry cracked earth, and something else caught my attention. A huge building. Well, more like an entire facility.

"Is that some kind of factory?" I asked, finding my tongue dry and gritty.

"It's the power plant for Kalos," Ben said.

"It's a power plant?" I'd obviously been pretty distracted, because we were almost right on top of it and I hadn't noticed. It was kind of hidden in the cliffs, to be fair. But it's not like me to be so oblivious to my surroundings. "Uh, Ben, if it's a power plant, why is it so quiet?"

"It uses renewable energies."

"Yeah, but even so, there should be some noise. Machines or vehicles or something. I so quiet I didn't even know we were next to it."

"I can kind of smell it," Hari said. "But it doesn't smell fresh.

Ben didn't respond immediately. "I guess power plants don't usually go on vacation, huh? Think we should check it out?"

"I guess we'd better."

Polaris and Tauros circled around the power plant until we found the entrance gate. It was locked, and as we suspected, there was no sign of life from within.

"Okay, time to break some rules," I murmured. I sent out Anakri. She used Acid to melt through the chains that held the lock in place. I returned her since she's not the most mobile on land, and sent out Yarak as a scout.

Yarak flew overhead as the rest of us dashed across the courtyard and hid in a corner. After several minutes, he flew down to give us the report. _"It's Team Flare. They're in one of the warehouses. They've got a huge truck, and they're loading it up with dozens of these canister things. They look like they're almost done."_

"Show us, Yarak."

He took off, leading the way around warehouses and machinery, and through courtyards. We continued riding our Pokémon, trying to get there as fast as possible. It was kind of eerie to find the place so silent. Yarak kept watch, but there was no one around. At least not until we reached a building with a massive pair of open doors. We stopped around a corner, trying to get a look inside. Ben pulled out a pair of binoculars, gazed through them for a minute, then handed them to me.

"They're not canisters," Ben said as I studied the scene. "They're batteries. What do they need with all of that power?"

Something sparked in my memory. "Fleur said they had wind turbines too." I handed the binoculars back to Ben. "There are two guards at the door."

"Are we going to knock 'em out?" Hari asked.

"Or we could just burn the building down," Ben suggested.

I punched him in he shoulder. "Stop being a jerk and let me think."

"No time for that," Ben said.

A coughing and rumbling noise echoed from inside the warehouse. They had started the truck. They were done loading on the batteries and were ready to leave. It was too late to invade the building. I whirled through some possibilities, then turned to my friends. As I started to speak, I let Shanjin out of his Pokéball.

"Okay Ben, send Tauros to tackle the truck and distract them. Shanjin, use Water Shuriken and try to take out the tires. Gro, do the same with your Leaf Blade on this side of the truck. I don't know if they have anything flammable, so we'd better keep Polaris and Yarak away."

The rumbling sound increased and the truck pulled out, driving toward us as it made for the exit. Ben and Hari quickly dismounted from Tauros who stood behind the corner, his tails lashing in anticipation. Gro and Shanjin came up behind him, ready to make their move. The truck rumbled toward us, packed with batteries and a number of people from Team Flare.

The moment the truck appeared around the corner, Tauros charged. Before anyone on the truck had time to react, he rammed his horns into the truck's passenger door. The truck was massive, but it still jolted under the force of the charge. There was shouting, and Tauros backed away, ready to charge again.

Meanwhile, Shanjin bounded over the rooftops, getting behind the truck and circling around the opposite side. Gro stayed on the near side, and they prepared to take out the tires.

There was a burst of red. One of the Team Flare people had sent out a Pokéball. A Vivillon darted into the air, passing briefly over Shanjin, and then Gro. A moment later, both of them dropped to the ground. It was Sleep Powder.

Tauros took another charge at the car. He'd seen his allies fall, and his next attack carried all of his anger. The front of truck actually tipped sideways. But when he started preparing for the third attack, Vivillon was overhead. Tauros bounded forward just as Sleep Powder dusted around him. He stumbled and crashed to the ground.

My mind raced and my hand automatically reached for another Pokéball. Someone on that truck was very smart and very fast. They analyzed the threat of Shanjin and Gro and took them out first. And that Vivillon. It was a modern form. Quite common. But still…

As the truck passed us, my eyes scanned the half dozen people sitting on the back with the batteries. And within a moment, I locked onto one person. At that same time, she saw me.

Fleur.

She turned and shouted to the rest of Team Flare, "Go on. I'll distract them." She vaulted off of the truck, landing lightly. Vivillon hovered at her side.

"Yarak," I called. "Follow the truck!"

He shot forward, but flapped to a panicked halt as Vivillon dashed in front of him, her wings still heavy with Sleep Powder. Yarak bolted upward, wanting to get above those dangerous wings. Vivillon followed, fast enough that Yarak couldn't get a lead to double back for an attack. I called out a telepathic order to Yarak. He stopped abruptly, stalling in mid-air. Vivillon was too close for him to get in a blast of fire, but that was to her disadvantage this time. She was taken off guard and couldn't react in time as Yarak came down on top of her, grabbing her with his talons. The two plummeted to the ground and Yarak slammed Vivillon into the dirt with his talons. But with her last ounce of strength, she smacked her wing against Yarak, enveloping him with Sleep Powder. Both Pokémon collapsed to the ground.

I snarled in rage. Now Yarak couldn't follow the truck. And Shanjin was down without ever getting in a hit. "What are you doing?" I shouted at Fleur. "How can you be helping these guys steal? You've turned yourself into a criminal!"

She smiled. "Maybe you'll understand some day." She pulled out two more Pokéballs and sent out Floette and Spritzee.

I wasn't in the mood to play around. I jerked my head toward Polaris. She was angry too, and one burst of Flamethrower knocked out both of Fleur's Pokémon.

She let out an impressed whistle. "Well, I guess I'm still no match for the champion. Time for some rays, Pumpkaboo."

All of us looked up, surprised. A Pumpkaboo was on the roof above us. Fleur must have released it with her last two Pokémon. They had gone down easy, but they had only been a distraction. Before any of us could react, Pumpkaboo blasted us with Confuse Ray. My vision swam and my legs felt like rubber. I staggered against a wall, trying to figure out which way was up or down. Ben and Hari looked like they were standing in the sky.

"Sorry," a voice echoed from far away. "It's nothing personal."

It felt like mere seconds, but when I finally found my senses returning, I realized that it must have been several minutes. Fleur and her Pokémon were gone. The truck was too. I was half leaning against the wall, and Polaris was standing nearby, fidgeting and snorting. She'd recovered before me. She had only gotten a tiny bit of the Confuse Ray, since she'd stepped away to fight Fleur's Pokémon. But Ben and Hari were still in its clutches. They seemed to be full-on hallucinating. That was a powerful Pumpkaboo. Maybe my telepathy made me more resistant to its effects.

Hari was closest, about five feet away. He was sprawled on his belly, reaching out an arm as though trying to grab something. I crawled toward him, still not trusting my legs. I lifted him up to his knees and brought him back to a sitting position. Polaris lay down beside him, propping him up and holding him in place with her head.

Ben was ten feet farther. He was standing against a gate, reaching his arms through as if he were desperately trying to get out even though this particular gate was wide open. I managed to stand and hobble toward him. I took him by the shoulders and backed him away from the gate. He came along, oddly meek."

"Ben, look at me. Can you hear me?"

He blinked. I didn't see any recognition in his eyes, but he didn't resist at all either. I closed me eyes. My telepathy usually wasn't much good with humans, but maybe it would help a little. I could faintly feel the strange fog of confusion floating around him. Just getting near it made my mind feel numb too, but I managed to bat some of it away.

Ben blinked again, and this time it seemed like he was actually kind of seeing me. "Wha' happened?"

"Confuse Ray. How do you feel?"

"Still confused. But not as much."

"Come on." I took his arm, leading him back to Polaris and Hari. Hari was sitting like a rag doll. I jerked Ben's arm slightly, indicating that he wasn't to move from that spot. Then I knelt in front of Hari and managed to waft away a little of his confusion too.

He blinked and looked up, startled. "Oh, I don't like that."

"I don't blame you. Take it easy, both of you. There are still some lingering effects."

Both of them nodded and Ben sat down right where he'd been standing.

I closed my eyes, still not sure I was completely steady myself. Something struck me, and I spun around. To my relief, Shanjin, Gro, and Tauros were still where they'd fallen. Team Flare hadn't stolen them. I returned Shanjin, then took Ben's Pokéball and did the same with his Tauros. But I had to walk over to get Gro, who had never been in a Pokéball.

I felt angry, but mostly useless and beaten. Fleur had gotten us good. I had tried to give her some advice, and she'd ended up with people who were starting to look as bad as Team Rocket. And for what? She had given us some tour of Lumiose, and she'd given me fashion advice. Yeah, it felt good to not look like a slob. But I'd rather look like a slob that see Fleur end up like this.

I couldn't leave my friends since they were still in bad shape. This meant I couldn't try to find the truck, or see if any factory workers had been locked up by Team Flare. Though several minutes later, that didn't matter. The police arrived and found us. I showed them my ID and told them what had happened. Team Flare was long gone by the time they arrived.

I had been so looking forward to returning to Lumiose City. But by the time we finally limped through the city walls, all of us felt betrayed and miserable.


End file.
